Chapter Text
***
There was a file Detective Tsukauchi was familiar with. It wasn’t one he studied, or even looked through often, but he knew of it. Everyone in the precinct did. It had existed for longer than he’d been a detective, although not by much. The title was simply:
Little Liar.
Tsukauchi wasn’t fond of the name, felt the connotations were too strong, especially considering how it started. Because, horrifyingly, the first document in the file was an anonymous phone call from a woman saying she’d overheard her neighbour selling his son. The boy, she’d guessed, had been little more than three or four. He was quirkless, she knew that much; Tsukauchi wondered how they’d known at such a young age. But those were the facts. The neighbour had then moved out two days later and disappeared, never to be seen or heard of again. Whatever name he’d used to rent the apartment, it had been fake and no name had ever been put to call.
Three years later was the next document and it was little more than a guess that the cases were connected. All it was was a boy, possibly six, who had come into a doctor’s surgery hysterical about his father being ill. Dr. Reina, just finishing her shift, had scooped him up and assured her colleagues she’d sort it out.
She’d then disappeared for three days, returning malnourished and revealing she’d been tricked, held at gunpoint until she’d agreed to treat what she could only describe as a villain.
But even then, all she’d ever asked about was the boy. Was he okay? Had they found him?
They hadn’t.
Two years later, a convenience store owner had been locked in his own bathroom after a boy had allegedly been struggling with the lock. Once he’d gone to help, he’d been pushed inside and barricaded in. He’d escaped hours later to find his store robbed and all the security tapes wiped clean.
And so the profile of Little Liar was created. A seemingly quirkless boy who worked alongside villains as an accomplice. Willingly or unwillingly, it didn’t matter. The point was, he still did it. He still waltzed into places, played the innocent child card, and disappeared again every time. Always around Tokyo but never in the same ward.
Sometimes Tsukauchi thought about it. Sometimes he forgot about him completely.
But one day, one day, he’d like to solve the case. One day, he’d like to meet him.
***
“What are you?”
“A...h-hero.”
Smack.
“I asked you what you are!”
“I’m gonna be a hero!”
The resounding thud was overlapped with a cry of pain and the ominous crunch of bones breaking.
“We’ll do this over and over until you give us the right answer. You are a villain.”
“That’s not what I-”
Smack.
“You’re lucky we’re patient.”
The hands left his body, dropping him to the floor. He gasped for breath as he struggled to his knees, watching those feet walk away.
“Give him one meal a day and a week in solitary.”
His eyes widened as panic crept in. “No! P-please, I-”
That hand was back, yanking him up by the neck. “Well then, maybe next time you’ll choose the right side to be on...Deku.”
***
In the end, it all blurred together. Years and years of torture and abuse. Useless because he had no quirk but useful for the very same reason. No one would suspect a quirkless boy. Days filled with endless “training”. Knives and guns being thrust upon him and being taught to use them over and over again. Getting punished every time he refused to hurt someone; a slap, a punch, a broken bone, a stab wound. The weeks spent in solitary, alone with nothing but absolute darkness.
Nothing but darkness and the memory of a clip he had seen on the television once, years ago:
“It’s alright now. Why? Because I am here!”
***
The ruckus downstairs was louder than normal. Deku would know. He’d been with the “Horseman”, as they called themselves, for over ten years now. He knew everything about them. And this, this wasn’t the usual “police, scatter!” ruckus. He tore his eyes away from the window, the only thing he had to do in this jail cell they called a room. If he knew what was going on, he could better prepare for whatever nightmare would undoubtedly be thrust upon him.
Pressing his ear to the door, Deku closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before listening as hard as he could. The four voices he’d come to dread all filtered together, swearing and threats snapped at each but Deku managed to piece together a picture, if a blurry one at that:
A new hero was rumoured to be in town and, if true, it could spell their demise.
Deku frowned there. He’d seen the rise and fall of many heroes and not once had any of them caused a stir. No, his captors knew as well as he did that most heroes fell into obscurity within a few years and even if they didn’t, the Horsemen were never in any danger. But for them to be, or their suppliers to be...No, that was something new.
There came the sound of a door slamming and then...silence. Silence wasn’t so odd except that it was. Yes, they’d conditioned him, trained him - Deku shuddered there - but he still wasn’t trusted. He’d never been left alone. There had always been someone, even if they’d been drunk out of their mind or passed out on a couch, left behind. Deku was never, never, left on his own.
His frown deepened, listening harder. Minutes ticked passed. First three, then four, five, and eventually ten and still no noise. No footsteps, no creaking of a chair, no distant hum of a television. Abandoning the door, Deku flung himself back at his bed, clambering up to the window. It was barred but he could see out and a cursory glance showed him that no, there was no one standing guard outside. No Seikyo, no Ketsubou, no Kousen, no Shouri. No one.
Deku froze.
Was this...Could this be…?
Surely, after ten years, they wouldn’t have made this mistake. They wouldn’t have been so blind, so stupid.
A voice then traitorously nudged at the back of his skull.
‘But what if they had?’
What if this was his one and only chance to escape and he didn’t because he...what? Didn’t take that chance? Wasn’t brave enough? What did he have to lose?
Deku exhaled loudly, hands drumming against his thighs. He could do this, he could! He’d envisioned it many times. He could escape. It would be easy. He had the theory down. He just...he had to be brave, brave like All Might was in that video he’d seen all those years ago. All Deku had had to hold onto for years was the belief that he could one day be a hero like All Might. Maybe this was his first step. If he did this, if he escaped now, this could be his way of saying I am Here!
“Okay…” Deku breathed, pushing himself up.
His feet slipped into shoes that were more threadbare than anything and were two sizes too small but it didn’t matter. The door to his “room” was locked, it always was, but Deku had been taught lock-picking from a young age; it was one of the first things he’d been taught. The villains hadn’t cared that he’d known how to escape, not when they could capture him within seconds and he was powerless against their quirks. But if they weren’t here…
That did it, the final piece sliding into place. Within a minute Deku had worked the lock open, slamming the door behind him and locking it again for good measure. The main room downstairs, the one connected to the front door, had cameras so that was out. The windows were barred in most rooms but if Deku remembered correctly, and he did, the ones in the bathroom weren’t. Why would they be? No one could escape through such a small window. Well, no adult to be precise. An underweight, short teenager? That was another thing entirely.
Hopping up onto the bathroom sink, Deku squeezed himself out the window. It was tight, but he made it. He only had seconds to assess the situation, spotting a patch of dirt to his right and aiming for it, rolling as he hit the ground. His shoulder jarred on impact and his broken ribs screamed but he couldn’t focus on it, not now, not when he was so close. Dashing from one shadow to another and then one more, Deku found himself the closest he’d ever been to freedom. If he could just scale this wall, he’d be free.
Again, his training proved to be useful - it took him less than thirty seconds to reach the top, fingertips raw but worth it. Flinging himself over, Deku took one long, last look at the rundown apartment block he’d lived in for most of his life. And with that, he ran. He ran and he ran and he never looked back.
***
Deku didn’t know how long he ran. He zig-zagged down street after street, through alleyways and across parks. Even then, he’d had to stay in less populated areas for the most part. After all, he didn’t exactly blend in. Not with his ill-fitting clothes, stained with dirt and blood. His hair was unkempt and unwashed, his skin not much better. Already a few women had pulled their children away from him, yanking them away as though he was contagious. He wondered if any of them had called the police. He hoped not. As much as Deku wanted to deny it, he knew what he was.
In the eyes of the law, he was very much a villain.
Eventually his lungs gave out, Deku slumping down in an underpass, chest heaving and side burning with a stitch. Surely he could stay here, stay here for just a minutes, just until he caught his breath. And then he would...would…
Deku’s breath caught.
Shit, he...He didn’t know where he could go. He’d never thought so far ahead as to-
“Well look here! A convenient hiding place!”
Deku knew danger, was well acquainted with it. And this, this voice, this was danger. Launching to the side, Deku yelped as an arm of what appeared to be sludge slammed down exactly where he’d be standing. His hands fumbled for the back of his pants, swearing sharply because, right, he wasn’t on an assignment, he didn’t have a weapon. The one time he actually wanted one!
“Oh, what’s this?” the slime monster asked, Deku backing up further. “You look like you’re missing something. Did you leave your quirk at home?”
Deku ground his teeth together. “I don’t have one. And even if I did, I wouldn’t let someone like you use it.”
“Let me?” the villain crowed, eyes narrowing. “I’d like to see you try and stop me!”
There came the attack again, only this time Deku was looking for it. It was easier this time to dodge, throwing himself left and rolling across the ground, scrambling up as fast as he could. He couldn’t win this fight, not on his own, but he could keep it contained until the heroes arrived. They...they did actually do that, right?
Before he could ponder it further, Deku was thrown off balance, a slimy hand wrapping around his arm the same time one smothered his ankle. Shit, he’d been careless. With one foot planted he could barely move, heart pounding as that sludge crept higher, slowly coming to suffocate him. It couldn’t end like this; not so soon after he’d escaped!
“It’s alright now!” came a voice, booming from the end of the underpass.
Deku didn’t know what to make of it and he hoped to gods it was a hero but nevertheless he steeled himself, hands balling into fists and ready to fight the second he was freed - if he was. It turned out, he didn’t even need to worry. Before he could fight, before he could help, the sludge villain was, quite literally, blown apart. The force of the wind knocked Deku over, the boy throwing himself to the ground so as to be out of the ground. Hey, survival tactics never wore off.
He stayed there, motionless, until a hand came and rested on his back. He braced himself but the touch simply remained, gentle, firm. “It’s alright now boy. Why? Because I’m here.”
Deku’s head snapped up, all but flinging himself onto his back. His eyes widened, words catching in his throat. He looked older than when he’d last seen him but Deku recognised him, how could he not? The figure that had been all he’d had, the figure he’d held onto for all those years.
“A-All...All M-Might?”
The hero gave him a salute. “Yo! Now, let me deal with this guy. You catch your breath.”
Deku could only nod dumbly, watching the hero as he carefully...Deku didn’t know, actually. Collected? the villain into two bottles? It was...an odd situation to be honest. It was only when All Might slipped the two bottles into his trouser pockets and began to stretch his legs that Deku realised what he was about to do.
“Wait!” he called, flying to his feet and latching onto All Might’s hand. “I...Before you go, I have...I have something I need to ask.”
All Might’s hand came down on his head, ruffling his hair. “Ah, why not ask someone else?”
Deku frowned. “There’s no one else I can-...”
He trailed off as All Might took that opportunity to shoot off into the sky. Years of quick reflexes made it easy to grab hold of his belt, Deku tightening his grip as the ground disappeared around them.
“Hey, hey, let go!” All Might yelled upon realising he was there.
“We’re in the air,” Deku deadpanned.
All Might turned sheepish there but deposited them onto the nearest rooftop. Deku barely stumbled as he hit the ground, already rounding on the hero that was, in turn, already beginning to scold him.
“That was incredibly foolish! Not to mention dangerous! If I hadn’t of-”
“One question!”
It came out more as a cry than anything but it made All Might pause. His expression turned sour but he gruffly nodded, turning away to cough into his hand. He made a vague gesture, a sign Deku was to continue.
“I…” Deku toed the floor before gathering his resolve. This was likely going to be his only chance. “Can...can someone like me, someone without a quirk, someone useless...can they become a hero?”
The answer hung in the air for a long time, too long, Deku’s heart already sinking. He had known the answer, deep down he had, but he’d held onto the barest hope that maybe he was wrong, that maybe he could do good. But if All Might didn’t think so then...then what? What could he do? Go back? Plead for forgiveness and hope he’d be welcomed back, finally initiated as the villain his captors had always wanted?
His internal monologue was cut off by an odd hissing sound, Deku’s head cocking to the side at the plume of smoke coming from where All Might had once been. In his place, there stood an impossibly thin, frail man.
“Who are you?”
“I’m All Migh-...!”
All Might couldn’t even finish the declaration before he was hacking into his hand, blood seeping through his fingers. And all Deku could think was that this, this was the Symbol of Peace. This was the best the heroes had to offer. This...this couldn’t save him. It was becoming apparent nothing ever would.
***
Toshinori had been midway through his “lecture” on how dangerous it was to be a hero, on how one needed a quirk, so ready to show off his scar as a way to frighten the boy, show him the harsh realities of life when he heard an odd sound. Looking over, Toshinori blinked in confusion when he saw the very boy who’d caused this situation sob loudly, hands clutching at his chest. Toshinori’s mouth snapped shut. Yes, he’d been a little firm but he hadn’t been so very harsh, had he? And yet this boy, he looked as though Toshinori had crushed the very world right in front of him.
Cautiously he stepped forward, crouching down and taking the young man’s shoulders in his hands. “Son, why are you crying?”
He got a sniff in return. “You...you’re All Might. And if you...if All Might looks like...like this then you...you can’t save me.”
Toshinori’s blood suddenly ran cold, hands tightening. “My boy, save you from what?”
He only sobbed harder. “From them.”
It wasn’t an answer but it was also too much of one. It was enough to make Toshinori lean back and finally take in the boy properly for once. What he saw made his eyes widen, face losing colour. This boy, this young, young boy, was pocked with scars, had muscle tone that didn’t match his malnutritioned looking skin, had eyes that Toshinori had only seen on heroes that had seen too much. His skin was bruised and scraped, his clothes didn’t fit, even the way he held himself indicated his ribs were injured.
“...who did this to you?” Toshinori whispered in horror.
He was met with equally wide eyes, the boy stumbling back. “No, it’s okay. I don’t...All Might can’t-”
“I can,” Toshinori cut in severely, the teenager freezing in his arms. “I save everyone I can and you, young man, are right in front of me. You’re alright. Why? Because I’m here.”
Something there must have convinced him because the next thing Toshinori knew, he had an armful of crying teenager. He’d never hugged back quicker in his life.
***
Deku had always been told he cried too much, had been constantly punished for it, but this time, this time he felt it was actually allowed. He was crying and not only was he allowed to seek comfort, it was given back. Deku had never experienced a hug before but if this is what they felt like, all warmth and safety, he desperately wanted more. All Might held him until his tears ran out, hands never stopping their mindless rubbing of his back.
“Thank you,” he managed to choke out, All Might squeezing him tighter.
“Of course. I also realise, I never asked your name.”
“Oh,” Deku said, pulling away and scrubbing at his eyes. “It’s Deku.”
All Might frowned. “That doesn’t sound like much of a name.”
Deku panicked. “I...But it’s...I don’t have any other-”
“Deku, where are your parents?”
If anything, the silence was even louder than before. Deku didn’t know how to answer, just making himself smaller until he was practically curling in on himself. He didn’t want to answer that because how could he? He didn’t know his parents? He’d never heard boo about his mother and his father had sold him to villains because he was quirkless, useless - and yes, he’d heard the story many a time. He hadn’t even been sold for a lot of a money, barely even two month’s worth of rent.
“Deku.” His name was practically a sigh. “Can I take it your parents aren’t around?”
Deku bowed his head. “I’m sorry.”
“My young man, you have nothing to be sorry for,” All Might murmured, taking one of his arms and tracing over the scars tentatively. “A villain?”
Maybe he hadn’t meant it that way but Deku jerked back, snatching his hand away. “I’m not!” he cried, knocking All Might away when he want to grab him. “I’m not! I...I’m a hero! I’m not a villain; I’m not!”
“Deku, that’s no-”
Deku clapped his hands over his ears, refusing to listen and only removing them when he heard an explosion go off in the distance. All Might’s line of sight was identical to his but it was Deku who noticed the missing bottles from the hero’s pockets. He didn’t even think before he was launching himself over the building’s edge and onto the fire escape.
“Deku, wait!”
The words may as well have fallen on deaf ears. Deku was already jumping from railing to railing, landing on the ground harder than his fractured ribs would have liked but there was nothing for it. He couldn’t back down now, couldn’t run away. Because this was his fault. If these explosions were because of the sludge villain, then this was entirely his fault and, as such, he had to fix it. He wasn’t a villain just yet.
Skidding around a corner, Deku came face to face with the very sight he’d been dreading. As he’d predicted, the sludge villain was here. And worst, of all, it had someone. Deku bolted for the front of the gathered crowd, tugging on the coat of the hero closest.
“It has someone! You have to help!”
“We know that kid,” came the tight reply. “But against that quirk? We just have to wait.”
“But you’re a hero!”
“Kid, back!”
Deku scowled but did as asked. Maybe they were right, maybe against this quirk they couldn’t...but then Deku saw it. Saw it clear as day. The boy, the boy caught by the sludge villain, and he was asking for help.
The next second he was running, feet moving before he even knew it. There were shouts from behind him, fear from the crowd and warnings from the heroes but Deku ignored them all. A mangled pipe on the ground, debris from one of the destroyed buildings, was scooped up. Deku could use it; he could use anything. His aim was true, swinging the pipe like a baseball bat, squarely hitting the villain in the eye. It reeled back, dropping its hold and allowing the other boy to escape.
“What the fuck was that?” came the snarl, Deku’s nose scrunching up.
“It doesn’t matter! Use your quirk and send him flying!”
“I was already gonna do that!” was the answer he got but neither of them got the chance. Never got the chance because, just like before, All Might came through. Deku recognised the sound of the wind pressure, yanking the other teenager down with him just as the shockwave blasted over their heads. Silence fell, and then rain.
The crowd behind them started to cheer, celebrating All Might’s victory.
Deku took the opportunity to run.
***
Tucked away at the base of a jungle gym, Deku yelped and jumped a good foot when a hand landed on his arm. He must have dozed off without realising! His feet scuffed against the ground as he tried to free himself, only stopping when the owner of the hand started to talk.
“You’re a hard one to track down, young Deku.”
Deku whipped around, disbelieving. “All Might?”
He was met with a wide grin, All Might managing to coax him out. The moon was high in the sky behind him, Deku blinking against the darkness. All Might smiled, ruffling his hair. “I meant to catch you after that showdown but you vanished! You’re very quick when you want to be.”
“I have to be,” Deku corrected before slapping a hand over his mouth.
To his credit, All Might didn’t so much as blink. No, instead he crouched down, locking their gazes together. “I realise now, Deku, that I upset you earlier with my words. I never meant to imply that you were a villain, only that villains had done terrible things to you.” He thumbed a particularly deep nick in Deku’s ear. “I also noticed that today, you were the one that acted most like a hero. When everyone else sat back and waited, it was you and you alone that responded to the cry of help. I think,” All Might said, very slowly and very clearly. “That you can become a hero.”
Deku’s bottom lip wobbled, eyes traitorously starting to water. All Might smiled sadly, cupping his face and wiping his tears away.
“Now, if you’ll let me, can I ask you to do something for me?”
Deku frowned. “Me? For...All Might?”
All Might nodded. “Yes.”
“What...what do I have to do?”
“Do? Well, young Deku, you’d have to come to my house, have dinner, and, I hope, have a good night’s sleep somewhere that isn’t a park. I think that’s the least I can do for today’s hero, don’t you think?”
Deku hesitated, hands held close to his chest. He didn’t...He wanted to go but...Could he…
“Deku, with me you’ll be safe. I won’t ever let them find you. Not again.”
Deku swallowed thickly before tentatively reaching out, sliding his hand into All Might’s.
“Okay.”
***